1. This is a very thoughtful and I think valid comparison of KonMari and The Home Edit, two organizational brands that have spawned books, product and Netflix shows. I went through the KonMari method of tidying up spurred by her graphic novel and it removed the preconceived idea I had that Marie Kondo intended for us to live in minimal homes with minimal items or that you need to buy to organise. I bought nothing, using her advice to work with what I had and that thinking made me consider purchases more carefully resulting in me buying (and wanting) less. I knew the aesthetic of The Home Edit before I knew what it was and am able to identify closets, pantries and refrigerators that have had the THE treatment based on the look – white, rainbow, clear Perspex, ample supplies and cursive labels. Pretty and very aesthetically pleasing but not practical for most. It is as the author points out focused on consumption as a means to organize.
I’ll leave you with this sentence, but do read the whole article.
By asking us to radically reconsider our possessions, Kondo is actually giving us a gift: The ability to choose, in a clear-headed manner, what we actually want to fill our homes with. It puts us fully in charge. The Home Edit’s method, on the other hand, just further ties us to our things, and even gives us more things to be tied to.”
2. This column on the 8 secrets to a (fairly) fulfilled life is the type of listicle you bookmark to come back to. [The Guardian]
3. An interesting bit of history – how the first vaccination was invented. [BBC]
4. Gigil is Tagalog for “the irresistible urge to pinch/squeeze someone because they are loved or cherished”. It’s part of a collection of nearly 400 entries in 62 languages that make up The Positive Lexicography Project, a catalogue of foreign terms for happiness that have no direct English translation. [The New Yorker]
5. Good tips on how to eat healthy on a budget. Once you’re done there check out our budget friendly recipes. [NPR]
6. How to know when it’s time for you to throw out your tupperware. [The Kitchn]
7. The average person’s mind wanders 47 percent of the time. Here’s how to get more focused and less distracted. It includes tips from Nir Eyal, who’s book Indistractible I wrote about here. [NY Times]
8. How to maintain hip mobility when you’re sitting all day. [Well + Good]
9. The difference between routine and rituals and why it’s ok to toss those beauty rituals. [Into The Gloss]
